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ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The University of Dayton baseball team battled George Mason on Wednesday in the opening round of the 2014 Atlantic 10 Championship, but suffered a 4-3 defeat in extra innings.

The Flyers took little time to put runs on the board, scoring a pair in the top of the first. After senior Robby Sunderman reached on an error and junior Sergio Plasencia reached on a George Mason error, UD had a runner in scoring position. Junior AJ Ryan then stepped up and ripped an RBI single to left, plating Sunderman. The throw to third in an attempt to catch Plasencia advancing went past the infielder and allowed the Dayton second baseman to score. With a clutch hit by Ryan and two Patriot errors, the Flyers jumped out on top 2-0.

Dayton pitcher Charlie Dant started Wednesday night after picking up the win in the Flyers last outing, a 2-1 victory over the same Patriots. He didn't allow a hit until the fourth inning, keeping the GMU hitters in check through the first three frames.

The Patriots managed to load the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the fourth, but Dant and the Dayton defense left all three runners stranded. That maintained the Flyers' 2-0 advantage.

GMU managed to break up the shutout in the sixth inning with a solo home run to left.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Patriots evened the score up at 2-2 with a double to left-center. They followed up with an RBI infield single to take a 3-2 lead, their first of the contest.

Dayton quickly responded though in the top of the eighth when Sunderman scored on an Alex Harris hit which resulted in a Mason error by the right fielder, tying the game up at 3-3.

The Patriots threatened in the bottom of the ninth, but the Flyers escaped the inning without allowing the deciding run. That meant extra-innings for just the third time on the season for Dayton.

Neither team made a dent in the score in the 10^th as the defenses settled in for both teams.

In the top of the 11^th, AJ Ryan reached on a single before Luke Wolford came on to pinch run. Wolford advanced to third on a wild pitch, putting the go-ahead run on third with just one out. Dayton was unable to take advantage though as back-to-back strikeouts ended the threat.

In the bottom half of the frame, George Mason got an RBI single with runners on second and third, which sealed the game for the Patriots. That handed the Flyers a 4-3 loss in 11 innings.

Dant went eight innings before giving way to the bullpen. After an outstanding outing, the sophomore righty gave up just two earned runs on seven hits, while tying a career-high with 10 strikeouts. Bryce Lahrman (3-2) relieved Dant and was stuck with the loss, despite allowing just one run on three hits in 2 2/3 innings.
 
As a team, Dayton totaled nine hits and benefited from five George Mason errors. Ryan led the way with a 4-for-5 outing and an RBI while Sunderman went 2-for-5 with two runs scored.

"Our guys competed hard," said Head Coach Tony Vittorio. "A few simple things that we should have handled in the game cost us."

The Flyers (24-29, 14-13 A-10) will now face No. 7-seed Fordham at 12 a.m. at SIU-Edwardsville on Thursday.